Well educated ?2016-12-23

After learning the classics of western thought for a whole semester, what impress me most is the first lecture. Recalling the question i raised in the first lecture, I am still a little bit confused about the concept of educated people.

In the first group’s presentation, they mentioned that the power and liberty should be restricted in certain sphere. For example, like the decision should be made by the selected people who are well educated, rather than the public. Because not everyone in the society is wisdom or rational enough to make such a decision.

At that time, i asked how can we make sure that those well educated people are good or rational enough to do make such a decision. Because we can see in nowadays society, many well-educated college students still do something ridiculous. Such as the poisoning case happened in Fudan University, and also the murder in Sichuan Normal University. It seems that the “well educated“ label can’t be a standard. Is there any wrong with the standard, or is there anything wrong with our education?

Syah Berlin used hedgehog and the fox to describe two different thinking patterns. "the hedgehog will indulge in great ideas, unremittingly. Contrary to the fox, fox lacks a grand vision and holds many different views to the world, some of which are even self contradictory. The hedgehogs' wisdom and vision are better than that of the foxes, they are believed to be the minor elites, that is ,"well-educated people" we talk about here. However foxes are not attached to specific ideas, but also willing to think in different contexts.according to the situation Berlin explained that "the world needs fewer hedgehogs, and more foxes." Therefore, I think, in today's society to solve many complex things, the only thing we can do is to be a group of fox who discuss and solve problems together rather than decided by a few elites.

As for what is “well educated people" , I have no answer but I have two ideas. Firstly, We must give up the idea that knowledge can be measured.Secondly , we must learn to distinguish between educated people or the ideal educated people and knowledgeable people. Some people, with history events and dates in heart , are very familiar with different countries’ current affairs, but their attitude or viewpoint is completely wrong. I agree with Lin Yutang for that one must be able to have independent judgment and be free from the threat of nonsense in any feild like society ,science, politics, literature and art, can be called well educated.

As for what is “well educated people" , I have no answer but I have two ideas. Firstly, We must give up the idea that knowledge can be measured.Secondly , we must learn to distinguish between educated people or the ideal educated people and knowledgeable people. Some people, with history events and dates in heart , are very familiar with different countries’ current affairs, but their attitude or viewpoint is completely wrong. I agree with Lin Yutang for that one must be able to have independent judgment and be free from the threat of nonsense in any feild like society ,science, politics, literature and art, can be called well educated.

I'm not in favor of the opinion that decisions should be made by "well-educated" people. Not only because that I have the same confusion with you in the definition of "well-educated" people, but also because the importance of diversified thoughts.

I think well-educated is not equal to highly-educated, as it were, highly-educated is not a necessary condition of being well-educated.

The problem is, when referring to education, we always count it on school's responsibility, ignoring that school's education only make up for a small part of people's whole-life education. In contemporary world, the accumulation of knowledge is not as important as the old society when knowledge determines one's career and life, while, we need to learn more basic morality and principles through social communication and interaction.

Besides, in my opinion, one of the most important elements of being well-educated is thinking independently. The ability of independent thinking asks for modesty, introspection and extensive knowledge.

Thank you for your question! As far as I'm concerned, I think the problem lies in the standard. More specificly, it lies in the connotaion of the word "education" itself.

In my opinion, to educate qualified citizens in a democratic society, to equip them with knowledge is important, but it is more important to cultivate them into reasonable, tolerant and benevolent human being with ability of life-long learning.

However, in our society, "well-educated" more often than not means "having at least a bacholer's degree". And the experience of being in an college serves for nothing by the purpose to get a well-paid job. This is actually too far away from the real meaning of education.